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Abstract:

A liner system and method for installing the liner. The liner is composed
of a synthetic material (HDPE or LLDPE). The liner has a base and walls
and an undersurface. The undersurface includes integral therewith a
plurality of discrete and independent radially disposed in spaced
relation stabilizing members. The stabilizing members are exposed when
the walls of the liner are positioned in a substantially vertical
orientation relative to the base. This exposes the stabilizing members.
The container may then be positioned in segments on top of the
stabilizing members with the walls of the liner adjacent a wall of the
container. In this manner, the container structure is fabricated about
the liner. The advantages in this system relate to the maintenance of
tension of the liner and the avoidance of having to position a large disc
like structure over the top and within a cylindrical receptacle or
container. Conveniently, the container can be assembled about a liner
expeditiously and at a fraction of the cost typically encountered with
existing arrangements.

Claims:

1. A liner for a tank adapted to retain liquid, comprising: a liner body
adapted to form a base and at least one vertical wall in a continuous
structure, said at least one vertical wall of said liner adapted for
folding over a supporting wall section; and stabilizing means integral
with and positioned about the base of said liner for stabilizing motion
of said liner during assembly of said wall section when said wall section
is positioned on top of said stabilizing means.

2. The liner as set forth in claim 1, wherein said stabilizing means
comprising individual segments extending outwardly from the periphery of
said liner base when said at least one vertical wall is folded over said
segment.

3. The liner as set forth in claim 2, wherein said individual segments
are equidistantly spaced.

4. The liner as set forth in claim 2, further including retainer means
for retaining said stabilizing means.

5. The liner as set forth in claim 4, wherein said retainer means
comprises a pouch.

6. The liner as set forth in claim 1, wherein said liner and said
stabilizing means comprises HDPE or LLDPE.

7. A method stabilizing movement of a liner body during the lining of a
container adapted to store a liquid, comprising: providing a liner body
having a base and walls folding to a substantially orthogonal position
relative to said base; providing integrally connected stabilizing means
separate from said walls for extending perpetually from said base when
said walls are folded; positioning wall segments for forming said
container on top of said stabilizing means; and folding and securing
liner walls over said wall segments, whereby said liner body and walls
are stabilized against lift and movement during assembly of said
container.

Description:

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

[0001] The present invention relates to a liner and more particularly, the
present invention relates to an improved liner for use in a holding
container or reservoir and a method of lining such a reservoir or
container.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

[0002] Synthetic plastic liners have been used to line above and below
ground reservoirs. The simplest example of this is a conventional
swimming pool which provides an inground opening which is prepared and
levelled and subsequently lined with a polyethylene and the like
material. In industrial applications, for purposes of handling landfill,
hazardous waste disposal, infer cilia, more sophisticated liners are
required in order to comply with environmental regulations. In situations
related to the latter, geomembranes composed of synthetic plastics are
regularly used. One material that has been particularly useful in
providing liners is high density polyethylene (HDPE). This material is
particularly useful since it generally includes and retains UV
stabilizers so that it does not prematurely degrade when exposed to the
sun and conventionally has a very lengthy useful life span. Another
useful material is linear low density polyethylene (LLDPE).

[0003] Returning to industrial applications, conventional liners are
typically formed in segments which provides for adjacent segments being
fusion welded in an imbricated manner to provide a fairly large liner.
The liners are then manually installed by several workers and then custom
fitted to the area which the liner will serve.

[0004] Examples of liners in the prior art include, for example, U.S. Pat.
No. 4,065,924, issued Jan. 3, 1978 to Young. The patentee teaches a
method of lining a waterway or reservoir. There are a number of steps
taught for forming the membrane which comprises a laminate of a butyl
sheet with a layer of synthetic fibres bonded thereto.

[0005] A conventional "drop in" style liner is described in U.S. Pat. No.
7,574,834, issued Aug. 18, 2009 to Murray. The liner is designed for
above ground water storage and provides for a plurality of modular walls
coupled together to form a continuous perimeter. Each of the walls is
inclined relative to the horizontal. A liner covers an internal side of
the modular walls and an area encompassed by the perimeter.

[0006] In terms of larger storage vessels, U.S. Patent Publication No.
2009/0139633, published Jun. 4, 2009, provides a method for lining a
container and the liner itself. In the method, the patentee teaches a
reservoir tank or basin having a waterproof layer of plastic where, in a
first step, at least one of the fastening elements comprised of
Velcro® is fastened to the inner side of the container and in a second
step, at least one sealing sheet of plastic is fastened to the first
fastening member. There is no real challenge in handling the liner in
this publication as it is a modular type liner.

[0007] Additional examples of existing technology in the liner field are
taught in U.S. Pat. No. 3,683,628, issued Aug. 15, 1972 to Tabary and in
U.S. Patent Reissued Pat. No. 35,272, reissued Jun. 11, 1996 to
Mathieson, et.al.

[0008] The liner that is incorporated in the instant technology is used in
the storage tanks which are illustrated, as an example, in the websites
of Royal Liner and Fab-Seal.

[0009] In greater detail, the liner system that is contemplated by the
present invention is specifically used in reservoirs designed to hold a
liquid. In the case where the liquid is water, specific guidelines need
to be followed and specific materials used to line the container.

[0010] The receptacles or containers containing the water are typically
assembled on site. This is where the complication arises with the
conventional arrangements. As discussed hereinabove, the liners are
fairly large, i.e. greater than 50 feet in diameter or greater and
accordingly, the size of the liner for use in lining such a structure is
very large and difficult to manipulate. Generally speaking, in
conventional methodology the liner is transported to the site. The
receptacle or container is assembled, many of which are of a cylindrical
geometry. Once assembled, the onerous task of lining the receptacle is
undertaken. The problem is that the liner, owing to the size, is
extremely difficult to manipulate and it must be dropped into position
and then subsequently placed so that the vertical walls are covered and
the liner extends over the top of the vertical walls. This is not without
complications under the best of circumstances; the exercise is grossly
encumbered during inclement weather conditions. Under wind conditions,
the liner effectively becomes a sail and even a slight wind can become a
potentially fatal situation to workers attempting to position and fasten
down the liner to the structure. It has been known in the field that the
liner can become completely disengaged from the container and drift down
several properties away from its initial intended position. There have
also been a significant number of injuries to the workers where the liner
flails in the wind and can easily slap or even worse, transport a worker
purely under the force of the wind with the liner.

[0011] Given the problems with the existing arrangements and the systems
used to line containers presently employed, there exists a need to have a
system that is efficient and is not affected by inclement weather
conditions. The present invention is directed to solving the limitations
of the prior art arrangements.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

[0012] One object of the invention is to provide an improved liner system
and method of lining a container.

[0013] A further object of one embodiment of the present invention, there
is provided a liner for a tank adapted to retain liquid, comprising: a
liner body adapted to form a base and at least one vertical wall in a
continuous structure; said at least one vertical wall of said liner
adapted for folding over a supporting wall section; and stabilizing means
integral with and positioned about the base of said base of said liner
for stabilizing motion of said liner during assembly of said wall section
when said wall section is positioned on top of said stabilizing means.

[0014] Conveniently, the stabilizing means may be simple, discrete
extensions from the existing liner. These are preferably radially
disposed about the periphery of the underside of the liner.

[0015] Of particular advantage is the fact that the material of which the
liner is made is HDPE or LLDPE. The attributes of these materials are
well documented in the art and it is further known by those skilled that
these materials, once they have served a useful lifespan as a liner, can
be reclaimed and used for further article formulation, an example of
which is lawn furniture. In this manner, the liner technology of the
instant invention has a "green" aspect and is not wasteful to the extent
of existing arrangements.

[0016] Once the liner is in position over the top edges of the wall
segments of which the container is composed, suitable fastening means may
be used for securement.

[0017] In terms of positioning the liner within the receptacle, it has
been found that by making use of the stabilizing members which are
integral with the base of the liner body, all of the inherent dangers and
complications attributed to the prior art are overcome.

[0018] The stabilizing members briefly described herein previously are of
particular advantage, since the liner can be transported to the site, put
into position where the receptacle is to be placed and then the container
effectively built around the liner. This is in marked contrast to the
existing methodology which builds the container first and subsequently
drops the liner over and into the receptacle. As will be appreciated in
the case of the latter, it is extremely difficult to position a large
disc like article (the liner) into the substantially cylindrical
container. This requires continuous manipulation in order to centre the
liner within the cylindrical container, which is not only time consuming,
but extremely challenging.

[0019] In the case of the instant technology, the stabilizing members have
on the top thereof the wall segments of the cylindrical container. In
this manner, the liner is placed, the sides of the liner lifted
substantially vertical to the base of the liner as the wall segments of
the container are positioned on the stabilizing members. This eliminates
the possibility of any movement from wind of the liner since the
stabilizing members are integral, i.e. fixedly secured to the underside
of the liner base. The corollary advantage to this structure is that the
liner is effectively maintained in a pretentioned state so that no
adjustment manipulation is required for purposes of centering the liner
within the cylindrical container.

[0020] Accordingly, a further object of another embodiment of the present
invention is to provide a method stabilizing movement of a liner body
during the lining of a container adapted to store a liquid comprising:
providing a liner body having a base and walls folding to a substantially
orthogonal position relative to said base; providing integrally connected
stabilizing means separate from said walls for extending perpetually from
said base when said walls are folded; positioning wall segments for
forming said container on top of solid stabilizing means; and folding and
securing liner walls over said wall segments, whereby said liner body and
walls are stabilized against lift and movement during assembly of said
container.

[0021] Although it is preferred that the material of which the liner is
made comprise HDPE or LLDPE, other suitable materials will be readily
apparent to those skilled in the art. Additional materials may include
polyethylene terephthalate (PET), bisphenol polyethylene, polyvinyl
chloride (PVC), and acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS).

[0022] In an alternative embodiment instead of providing individual
stabilizing members about the periphery of the base of the liner, the
number of stabilizing members projecting from the base may be
significantly reduced and include a ring of material (around HDPE or
LLDPE material). In this manner, the stabilizing members would act as
spacer members for spacing coaxially disposed ring for purposes of
receiving the cylindrical wall members and thus achieving the same result
of the stabilizing members when they are positioned about the perimeter
in spaced relation and in significant quantity.

[0023] Having thus generally described the invention, reference will now
be made to the accompanying drawings illustrating preferred embodiments.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024]FIG. 1 is a bottom plan view of the liner according to one
embodiment of the present invention;

[0025] FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the top of the liner in accordance
with one embodiment of the present invention;

[0026] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the liner as positioned with a
container structure;

[0027] FIGS. 4A through 4D are a series of side views in schematic
representation of the liner in various dispositions during assembly of
the container around the liner;

[0028] FIGS. 5 is a perspective view of the assembled container as lined
with the liner of the present invention;

[0029]FIG. 6 is a bottom plan view of an alternate embodiment of the
liner according to the present invention; and

[0031] Similar numerals employed in the drawings denote similar elements.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0032] Referring now to FIG. 1, shown is a bottom plan view of the liner,
globally denoted by numeral 10, according to one embodiment. The liner
material composition has been discussed herein previously. The liner 10
is composed of a flexible impermeable material adapted to hold a liquid.

[0033] The liner is typically formed of a plurality of independent
rectangular sections, shown in dashed line in FIG. 1 and represented by
numeral 12. Although one rectangular section is shown, it will be
appreciated that there are a plurality of such sections 12 which overly
one another at least partially to provide a bonded surface. The bonding
is typically achieved by butt welding, a process that is well known for
formulating liners. Accordingly, the details of the process will not be
discussed herein.

[0034] In FIG. 1, the liner 10 is shown in a circular form. The individual
sections 12 are simply cut to render the liner in a circular structure as
is shown in FIG. 1. The liner in this embodiment comprises a continuous
circular sheet, the bottom of which includes a plurality of radially and
equidistantly spaced projecting stabilizing members 14. The stabilizing
members 14 are fixedly secured to the bottom of the liner and there may
be any number of such members 14 associated with the bottom of the liner
10. It is preferred that there be included at least three such members
14.

[0035] As an option, the stabilizing members 14 may be positioned within a
pouch 16 similarly located on the under surface of the liner at 10. This
is to provide an area into which the individual stabilizing members 14
may be tucked in for storage. To this end, the pouches 16 are also
integral with the liner and maintain the stabilizing members 14 in an
orderly fashion.

[0036] Referring to the remaining Figures and specifically FIGS. 2 through
5, FIG. 2 illustrates the liner 10 where the top surface, denoted by
numeral 18 is shown in a face up disposition. The stabilizing members 14
are illustrated in chain line owing to the fact that the liner is now in
a position for use. It will be noted that the stabilizing members do not
extend to the outer periphery 20 of liner 10; the stabilizing members
need only be from about 10% to about 80% of the distance to the perimeter
20 of the liner 10.

[0037] With respect to specific reference to FIGS. 4A through 4D, shown is
a sequence of illustrations that demonstrates the use of the liner
according to one embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 4A, the
liner 10 is shown in side view. This is where the stabilizing members 14
are beneath the top of the liner 18. In respect to FIG. 413, the
stabilizing members 14 now extend outwardly from the liner 10 and in this
embodiment the sidewalls or perimeter 22 of the liner 10 are folded
upwardly and inwardly towards a centre point denoted by numeral 24 in
FIG. 4B.

[0038] Once the sidewalls 22 are folded as indicated in FIG. 4B, the
structural sidewalls 26 shown in FIGS. 3, 4C and 4D are positioned on the
top of the stabilizing members 14. The sidewalls 22 are then folded
upwardly and then over the top of the sidewalls 26 as shown in FIG. 4D.
This overall process and the structural relationship between the elements
is best shown in FIG. 3. FIG. 5 illustrates a perspective view of the
overall structure once it is completely assembled.

[0039] It has been found that this structure and method for assembling a
container to hold a liquid and the liner therein is particularly
effective and obviates all of the dangers typically associated with
workers attempting to "drop-in" a liner into a premade container composed
of sidewalls 26. By providing the stabilizing members 14 about the
periphery of the liner, the tension of the liner can always be maintained
at the base 18 and the stability of the liner during assembly of the
container sidewalls 26. It will be clear to those skilled in the art that
this structure and method of assembly prevents the possibility of air
currents coming underneath the liner which would otherwise create
billowing and a dangerous manipulation situation. The sidewalls 26, due
to the weight thereof, retain the liner in position and do not allow air
current or air flow under the base. With respect to the flexible
sidewalls 22 of the liner 10, these are unaffected by any type of air
flow or wind currents, since they are within the body of the container
being formed and are thus essentially unaffected by air flow over the top
of the sidewalls 26.

[0040] In terms of a method using the liner of the present invention, the
description for FIGS. 4A through 4D effectively delineates the steps
involved in assembly. The liner 10 is positioned with the tabs 14 on the
under surface, the sidewalls 22 of the flexible material of the liner 10
are folded inwardly towards the centre 18 of the base 24, the structural
sidewalls 26 are positioned on the top of each stabilizing members 14 and
the flexible sidewalls 22 are positioned adjacent the sidewalls 26 and
folded over the top of the sidewalls 26. The top portions are then
fixedly secured with some suitable fastening means (not shown).

[0041] Turning to FIG. 6, shown is an alternative of the present
invention. In this embodiment, the stabilizing members 14 are spaced
about the periphery of the liner 10 as noted with respect to the previous
figures. In this embodiment, only four stabilizing members are shown.
Between adjacent stabilizing members 14, this embodiment provides an
arcuate segment 28 extending therebetween. The arcuate segments 28
function as a stabilizing member or means. To this end, the tab style
stabilizing members 14 effectively function as spacers to retain
independent sections of the arcuate segments 28. As with the stabilizing
members 14, the arcuate segments 28 can function to retain and maintain
position of the liner during assembly of the container sidewalls 26.

[0042] Referring to FIG. 7, the same illustrates an exploded view of the
embodiment of FIG. 6 more clearly depicting the arcuate segments 28.

[0043] Although embodiments of the invention have been described above, it
is not limited thereto and it will be apparent to those skilled in the
art that numerous modifications form part of the present invention
insofar as they do not depart from the spirit, nature and scope of the
claimed and described invention.